When neurotypical children look at peoples faces, regions in the limbic system light up with endorphins and reward that child.

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1 Addressing Social Competence in Children and Adolescents with Ausm Spectrum Disorder at Pre- symbolic and Emerging Language Stages Presented by Emily Rubin, MS, CCC- SLP Contemporary research in the neurodevelopment of social competence has fostered a greater understanding of those with vulnerabilities in these areas. When neurotypical children look at peoples faces, regions in the limbic system light up with endorphins and reward that child. By 6 months of age, a child begins to follow gaze and can recognize when they have lost a caregiver s attention By 10 months of age, a child begins to shift gaze from a caregiver to objects of reference to predict and anticipate the actions of others. By 12 months of age, a child will initiate shared attention on desired items or items that are of interest to the child. 1

2 and These capacities foster expertise about the social world. Children with social and emotional vulnerabilities show limited neural sensitivity to social stimuli and tend not to look toward people s faces. and and Children with these vulnerabilities tend to look at the mouths of the speaker. They miss gaze shifts between people and objects. They have difficulty predicting actions and initiating bids for engagement. Similarly, when neurotypical children hear speech sounds, these are processed as social or intentional stimuli, while children with vulnerabilities simply hear sounds, making the intentions of individual words more ambiguous. and Individuals with social and emotional vulnerabilities may process social stimuli (e.g., faces, speech sounds) in regions of the brain typically reserved to process images and sounds that are non-biological. This makes predictions of actions, intentions, and emotions less efficient and more intellectual. How do these neurological differences impact social communication? Difficulty with communication - Neurological differences limit shared attention and the intrinsic reward for engagement with others; thus, reduced rates of spontaneously initiated communication are evident and compromise language development. Implication Increase functional, spontaneous communication 2

3 Pre-symbolic stages; Child will communicate for a range of functions across activities, contexts, and partners including: Initiating bids for interaction, Sharing negative and positive emotions, Requesting desired objects, Requesting help or other actions, Protesting undesired actions or activities, Requesting comfort, social games, and greetings, Commenting on objects. Pre-symbolic stages Child will share intentions across activities, contexts, and partners using: imitation of actions or sounds proximity to others simple motor actions / physical manipulation, a give gesture, push away, a touch gesture, a show gesture, a point, or a wave gesture, How do these neurological differences impact social communication? Difficulty with expressive language - Neurological differences limit gaze between people and objects and awareness of what others are thinking; thus, children with ASD may learn nouns and noun phrases, but struggle with subject + verb sentence structure, which is essential for creative language acquisition. Implication Increase language related to people and actions Emerging language stages; Child will communicate for a range of functions across activities, contexts, and partners including: Emerging language stages; Child will share intentions across activities, contexts, and partners using: Securing attention prior to expressing intentions using others names Comments on actions or events Sharing emotion and interests words, pictures, or signs to represent people, action words, modifiers, and a range of object labels. Combining words, pictures, or signs to form creative word combinations such as subject + verb and subject + verb + noun sentences. 3

4 The Picture Communicaon Symbols by Mayer- Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. The Picture Communicaon Symbols by Mayer- Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. How do these neurological differences impact emotional regulation? Difficulty with transitions Predicting the sequence of tasks initiated by others is a challenge in the absence of clear visual support. The Picture Communicaon Symbols by Mayer- Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. Implication Increase visual supports to indicate sequence of activities and steps within activities Transition Objects of Reference Music 4

5 How do these neurological differences impact emotional regulation? Difficulty with active engagement Predicting the purpose of a social or academic activity is a challenge. Thus, motivation for task engagement is affected. Implication Increase intrinsic reward value of activities (e.g., hands on sensory-based, embed special interests, and ensure functional application is clear) Unique Neurological Differences How do these neurological differences impact emotional regulation? How do these neurological differences impact emotional regulation? Unpredictable situations = heightened anxiety & decreased interest in social stimuli = boredom Reliance on immature or unconventional coping When others are not a predictable source of emotional support, coping strategies tend not to be learned by observation. Repetitive sensory motor soothing behaviors (rhythm and pressure) and/or special interests develop. Implication = Provide explicit guidance for developing more conventional coping strategies Contact the presenter: Emily@CommXRoads.com Reference: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2006). Guidelines for speech-language pathologists in diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders across the life span. Available from members/deskref-journal/deskref/default 5

6 Checklist for Differentiating Instruction for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Classroom Student Name: Target Activity / Subject: Date: Follow-up Date: Describe what the student did well Visual Structure & Organization Is the student predicting What supports are working Next steps the purpose of the task (sensory exploration / cause & effect / tied to special interests or functional outcomes) the sequence of activities (activity baskets, photo/picture schedules, written day planner) the steps within the activity (count down strips, visual timers, written help box) their role in the activity (clear visuals indicate expectations, turn-taking, and roles) Social Communication Supports Is the student predicting What supports are working Next steps when to initiate (the activity includes opportunities for student participation) what to say (visuals such as objects, photos, pictures, written words remind the child how to ask for help, comment, respond to questions, etc.) Emotional Regulation Is the student predicting What supports are working Next steps how to regulate their emotions (access to sensory supports, visuals choices of coping strategies) that others are responsive and a source of emotional support Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved; Prepared by Emily Rubin, MS, CCC-SLP; Derived from the SCERTS assessment process 6